Classic Braised Taiwanese Beef Stew 紅燒牛肉

Today I am making Classic Braised Taiwanese Beef Stew 紅燒牛肉. Made of short ribs, potatoes, and carrots stewed to perfection on the stove top, this yummy beef dish has the best sauce to scarf down with a bowl of hot purple multigrain rice. This is a family-style dish that’s delicious as family-style dinner or packed for lunch the next day. Make this slow-braised short rib stew with me tonight for dinner!

Taiwanese Beef Stew

• Family Dinner Taiwanese Beef Stew
• Taiwanese Beef Stew Ingredients
  • Must Have Condiment For Taiwanese Beef Stew
  • Best Cut of Beef For Taiwanese Beef Stew
  • Spices You Can Add
• Step By Step Guide To Taiwanese Beef Stew
• More Classic Taiwanese Family Style Dinner Dishes

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Family Dinner Taiwanese Beef Stew

Taiwanese Beef Stew is less of a soup, and more of a saucy dish to pair with a bowl of rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes. Even though it takes a while to cook, you can prepare it earlier on in the day, and let it slowly stew until dinner time. Every Taiwanese household has its variation on how to make this dish. It has a the warm, herbal flavors of star anise and bay leaves cooked into chunks of short ribs, making it extra appetizing in the cold winters.

This beef stew tastes even better the next day as the spice flavors meld deeper into the sauce. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Taiwanese Beef Stew Ingredients

Must Have Condiment For Taiwanese Beef Stew

There’s an essential condiments for this Taiwanese Beef Stew that makes it so flavorful. That is La Doubanjiang, or Spicy Fermented Bean Paste. It’s spicy, savory, and packed with the right spices. The spiciness in this beef stew is supposed to be subtle and not overpowering. If it is still too much for you, you can adjust the spiciness by adjusting the amount of La Doubanjiang.

If you’re not a fan of spicy, you can try using Doubanjiang, the not-spicy version of the fermented bean paste. It has the same rich flavor base, without all the spiciness.

Best Cut of Beef For Taiwanese Beef Stew

Boneless Beef Short Ribs is the perfect cut of beef for this beef stew! It has lots of meaty goodness and has a perfect balance of fat, tendon, and meat. You can substitute with beef shank, brisket, flank, oxtail, or any chuck cut. After simmering it for 2 hours, the beef becomes fork-tender, with all the collagen melting. The meat has absorbed in all the flavor, and falls right apart.

There’s two extra steps I take for extra flavorful stew: Blanching and browning before cooking. Blanching the beef in spices like ginger, green onion, and sichuan peppercorn removes any surface impurities and gunk. This helps extracts a purer beef flavor into the stew as it cooks. If you’re in a rush, you can also skip the blanching step. However, make sure not to skip browning, because that’s what makes your stew extra flavorful.

Spices You Can Add

The spice combo is another part of Taiwanese Beef Stew that is different in every family’s recipe. The spices are not just used in this recipe to neutralized odors during the blanching step. It adds a layer of herbal aroma to your broth that makes your stew taste much more nourishing in the cold weather.

The spices we use are bay leaf, star anise, garlic, and Sichuan peppercorn, which gives it a nice herbal flavor with a slight tingly numbness. However, in times when I couldn’t find all these different spices, or for those sensitive to spice, my only must-add is garlic and bay leaves!

Step By Step Guide To Taiwanese Beef Stew

1. In a pot, combine the beef, Chinese cooking wine, ginger, green onion, Sichuan peppercorns, and enough cold water to cover.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 5–10 minutes to remove impurities. Skim off any scum.
3. Drain, rinse the beef under cold water, pat dry, and set aside.
4. Heat oil in a large pot.
5. Add the beef and brown on all sides for 2–3 minutes.
6. Add sliced onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add in the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.
   
7. Stir in the tomato paste, doubanjiang, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste to adjust seasoning 
8. Add the beef stock (or water), Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaf, and star anise to the pot. Stir well.
9. Next, bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 2–3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to ensure nothing sticks.
10. Add the potatoes and carrots. Then, cover the pot and cook until tender. This takes about 20 minutes.
11. Optional: Thicken the stew with cornstarch slurry. Stir until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
12. Serve hot over rice.

More Classic Taiwanese Family Style Dinner Dishes

Classic Braised Taiwanese Beef Stew 紅燒牛肉

By Tiffy Cooks

5 from 2 votes

Today I am making Classic Braised Taiwanese Beef Stew 紅燒牛肉. Made of short ribs, potatoes, and carrots stewed to perfection on the stove top, this yummy beef dish has the best sauce to scarf down with a bowl of hot purple multigrain rice. This is a family-style dish that's delicious both as family-style dinner, and packed as an easy bento box for the next day. Make this slow-braised short rib stew with me tonight for dinner!

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Cook Time:3 hours hrs

Total Time:3 hours hrs

Course: Dinner, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Taiwanese

Diet: Low Fat, Low Lactose

Keyword: Asian Recipes for Dinner, dinner Ideas, easy dinner, family recipe, family style, potato recipe, stew, Taiwanese Food, Taiwanese Recipes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 650kcal

Equipment

• Le Creuset Cast Iron Round Dutch oven

Ingredients

• 3 lb boneless beef short ribs cut into 2-inch pieces
• 4 slices ginger optional, for blanching
• 2 green onions optional, for blanching
• 1 tbsp Sichuan Peppercorn optional, for blanching
• 1 large onion sliced
• 8 cloves garlic smashed
• 3 large potatoes peeled and cubed
• 2 large carrots peeled and cut into chunks
• 6 cups beef stock
• water enough to cover the beef in the pot

Stewing Spices

• 3 bay leaf
• 4-5 star anise pods optional
• 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns optional

Seasonings

• 4.5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1.5 tablespoon spicy fermented bean paste doubanjiang
• 1-2 tablespoon sugar or rock sugar
• 1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine

Cornstarch Slurry (Optional)

• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons water

Instructions

• In a pot, combine the beef, Chinese cooking wine, ginger, green onion, Sichuan peppercorns, and enough cold water to cover.
• Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 5–10 minutes to remove impurities. Skim off any scum.
• Drain, rinse the beef under cold water, pat dry, and set aside.
• Heat oil in a large pot.
• Add the beef and brown on all sides for 2–3 minutes.
  
• Add the sliced onion and sauté until fragrant and softened for 3–4 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.
• Stir in the tomato paste, doubanjiang, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste to adjust seasoning
• Add the beef stock (or water), Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaf, and star anise to the pot. Stir well.
  
• Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 2–3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes to ensure nothing sticks.
• Add the potatoes and carrots. Cover and cook until tender (about 20 minutes).
  
• Optional: Thicken the stew with cornstarch slurry, stirring until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
• Serve hot over rice.

Notes

You can also use beef shank or beef brisket instead of short ribs. 

Nutrition

Calories: 650kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 55gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 1881mgPotassium: 2300mgFiber: 7gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 4157IUVitamin C: 41mgCalcium: 100mgIron: 8mg